How much land transfer tax do you pay in Ontario, Toronto and BC?
Land transfer tax is one of the biggest closing costs on a Canadian home, and where you buy matters more than almost anything else. On a C$1,000,000 home in 2026, a buyer who isn't getting first-time relief pays C$16,475 in Ontario outside Toronto and C$18,000 in British Columbia.
Inside the City of Toronto the same home costs C$32,950, because Toronto charges its own municipal tax of C$16,475 on top of the province's.
At C$500,000 the picture is the same, just smaller: C$6,475 in Ontario, C$8,000 in BC and C$12,950 in Toronto.
How we worked out these numbers
We ran three calculators on this site for each price: the Ontario land transfer tax calculator, the Toronto land transfer tax calculator, which adds the municipal tax to the provincial one, and the BC property transfer tax calculator with the first-time buyer exemption switched off. As a cross-check, the build also runs the site's combined land transfer tax calculator at C$500,000, C$800,000 and C$1,000,000 and fails if any figure disagrees.
Every run assumes:
- A home on land with one or two single family residences, which is the schedule most house and condo buyers fall under in Ontario
- A buyer who doesn't qualify for first-time buyer relief
- Toronto's municipal rates in force from 1 April 2026
- In BC, the general property transfer tax on the full fair market value
The engine behind these calculators covers Ontario, Toronto and British Columbia only. Other provinces have their own rules, from Quebec's municipal "welcome tax" to the flat registration fees in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and none of them is modelled here, so we haven't put a number on them. We've also left out the foreign buyer and speculation taxes that apply to some purchasers, and any tax on the GST or HST part of a new-build price.
The full table
Click a column heading to sort. The "Toronto municipal tax only" column is the City's share of the Toronto total; the rest is the provincial tax, which is the same figure as the Ontario column.
Land transfer tax on a home in Ontario, Toronto and British Columbia, 2026 (repeat buyer, Canadian dollars)
Download CSVLand containing one or two single family residences, no first-time buyer relief. Toronto is the Ontario tax plus the City's municipal tax.
| C$500,000 | C$6,475 | C$6,475 | C$12,950 | C$8,000 |
| C$800,000 | C$12,475 | C$12,475 | C$24,950 | C$14,000 |
| C$1,000,000 | C$16,475 | C$16,475 | C$32,950 | C$18,000 |
| C$2,000,000 | C$36,475 | C$36,475 | C$72,950 | C$38,000 |
| C$4,000,000 | C$86,475 | C$105,475 | C$191,950 | C$118,000 |
Toronto's double land transfer tax
Toronto is the only place in Ontario with a municipal land transfer tax. It's charged on the same price as the provincial tax and, below C$3,000,000, at the same marginal rates. So a Toronto buyer effectively pays the Ontario tax twice. On a C$1,000,000 home the provincial and municipal shares are both C$16,475, which adds up to C$32,950, or 3.29% of the price. On C$800,000 the City's share is C$12,475.
The two taxes start to part ways at the top end. From 1 April 2026, Toronto added steeper rates for homes above C$3,000,000, in bands that rise at each step up to the most expensive properties. On a C$4,000,000 home the municipal tax is now C$105,475, compared with C$96,475 under the rates that ran until March 2026, a rise of C$9,000. The provincial tax on that home is C$86,475, so the Toronto total reaches C$191,950.
At C$2,000,000, still below the new tiers, Toronto charges C$72,950 against C$36,475 elsewhere in Ontario.
Ontario vs BC: closer than you might think
Outside Toronto, the two provinces land close together, with BC a little higher at every price we tested. The gap is C$1,525 at C$500,000 and C$1,525 at C$1,000,000; between those prices both provinces charge the same top marginal rate, so the difference doesn't grow. Both use marginal rates that rise with the price, so the tax grows faster than the price itself: in Ontario it's 1.65% of a C$1,000,000 home, and in BC it's 1.80%.
What changes the comparison far more is first-time buyer relief. BC's exemption can wipe out the whole tax on a cheaper home, while Ontario and Toronto offer fixed rebates. We've worked through those in our first-time buyer rebate figures.
Why it hurts more than other closing costs
Land transfer tax is due when the deal closes, and you can't add it to your mortgage. It comes out of cash on top of your down payment. For a Toronto buyer at C$1,000,000, C$32,950 is a big share of the savings many people bring to the table, and it's money that doesn't buy any equity.
It's also why some buyers look just outside the city line. A home in Mississauga or Vaughan at the same price pays only the provincial C$16,475, saving C$16,475 up front. That's real money, though it should be weighed against commuting, property taxes and the price differences between the two areas.
Checking your own purchase
Your exact bill depends on the property type, whether part of the price is for something other than the home, and whether you qualify for any relief. To get your own figure:
- In Toronto, use the Toronto land transfer tax calculator, which shows both taxes and the April 2026 rates
- Elsewhere in Ontario, use the Ontario land transfer tax calculator
- In BC, use the BC property transfer tax calculator
Your lawyer or notary will calculate the final amount at closing, and that's the number to budget for. These figures are a fair way to compare places before you start making offers.
